In some systems for providing UV light to a target item, a UV lamp is housed in an envelope and emits UV light that is provided through a window to the target item. The window is typically made from fused silica, although it is often referred to as quartz. Unlike typical glass, the fused silica window is substantially transparent to UV energy at germicidal wavelengths on the order of 260-300 nm that are desirable for disinfection and sterilization.
In one type of system, a conveyor belt brings items to be radiated to a xenon flash system with one or more lamps, and the flash lamp(s) provide one or more flashes of broadband light to the items to be treated. The treatment can be used for different purposes, such as curing an adhesive, annealing, sintering, or disinfecting.
Other types of systems use a mercury lamp to provide continuous (not flashed) UV light that has pronounced peaks at certain wavelengths.